Having someone as strong and kind as Trevor beaten down by his own family broke my heart. I’d have done anything in my power to make him feel better. That was why I decided to surround Trevor with people he cared for and who cared about him. I might not have understood Trevor’s animosities toward his father, but I’d make sure he was surrounded by a loving family tonight. That was my job as his wife.
I got home about an hour and a half after I’d spoken to Lizzy, tension tying knots in my stomach the entire way. When I pulled into the driveway I saw the familiar Lincoln, telling me that my folks were already there, but surrounding the Lincoln were a bunch of other cars I didn’t recognize.
Walking up the path to the door, I could hear the sounds of loud voices coming from inside the house. There was no way in hell the Devareau’s would be so loud and boisterous. I pushed the door open and stepped across the threshold, not knowing what the hell to expect.
“Baby, you’re home!” Lizzy called, running up to me and wrapping her arms around my neck. She planted a passionate kiss on my lips, shocking the ever-loving shit out of me.
“Uh, hi?”
Before she could say anything else, people rushed in crowding the entryway.
“Hiya, honey,” Nana said, coming up to kiss my cheek.
What the hell?
I looked over at Lizzy, trying to figure out what was going on, but I couldn’t read anything on her face.
“I’m sorry, can you excuse us?” Lizzy asked everyone, grabbing hold of my hand and pulling me up the stairs to our bedroom.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered after closing the door.
“What’s going on?” I asked, still at a complete loss.
“Well,” she began, wringing her hands in front of her nervously. “You just sounded so stressed about your family coming to visit that I thought, maybe if you had some reinforcements you wouldn’t be so tightly-wound. So I called up my family and invited them over, you know, as moral support,” she rambled. If I hadn’t already been in love with her, no doubt I would have fallen head-first right then and there. Christ, this woman undid me. She invited her entire insane posse to mingle with my stick-up-their-asses family just so I wouldn’t be uncomfortable.
I couldn’t stop myself. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her again. I made sure to keep myself in check and not take the kiss too far, but damn was that hard. After a few seconds, I pulled back, rested my forehead against hers, and gave her a peck on the tip of her nose. “Thank you for this,” I whispered. I couldn’t put into words how much what she’d done meant to me.
“You’re welcome,” she said just as softly. “Oh! I almost forgot.” She bounced over to the jewelry box on top of her dresser and pulled the drawer open. When she spun back around, the wedding ring I’d gotten her in Vegas sat on her left ring finger.
“I don’t have one for you,” she said, looking a little disappointed that I didn’t have a ring for my finger.
A slow smile spread over my face as I walked over to the drawer I’d been keeping my clothes in. I pulled out a velvet ring box and popped it open, pulling out the dark-gray titanium band. I handed it over and held out my left hand for her to slide it on.
“I kinda took it upon myself to get one a while back.”
She looked up at me with those big, green eyes. “You did?” She stared at me in disbelief, like she couldn’t understand why I’d want to wear a ring signifying my commitment to her.
“Yeah,” I spoke softly. “I’ve just been waiting for a chance to wear it. I didn’t want to freak you out.”
Her eyes widened a little more, sparkling with an emotion I wasn’t certain of as she asked, “Really?”
“Yeah, cher.” I smiled, pulling on one of her curls before placing another kiss on the tip of her nose again. When I pulled back, her nose was scrunched up adorably and she smiled that smile I’d fallen in love with when I first met her.
Something in that moment hit me like a Mack truck, and all I could think was that I wanted to tell her exactly how I felt. I had the strongest desire to tell her I loved her coursing through me just then. I opened my mouth to speak, but a pounding on the bedroom door interrupted us.
“Sorry, honey,” Lizzy’s dad said as he poked his head through the cracked door. “Don’t mean to interrupt, but Captain Ass-Clench down there is about to set Nana off. You know how bad that’ll turn out.”
“Oh, shit!” Lizzy and I spoke at the same time.
Turning back to face me, she jerked the ring from my hold and slid it on my finger before standing on her tiptoes and giving me a quick peck on the lips.
“Let’s go,” she said with a giggle as she grabbed my hand and began pulling. “I don’t want Luke to have to haul Nana in again.” Her father simply rolled his eyes and laughed.
“Wait. Again?” I asked in shock, pulling her to a stop.
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it later.”
“Yeah,” her dad added. “Never let her near the eggnog at Christmas time. Damn woman gets lit and thinks she’s ten feet tall and bullet-proof.”
I turned and stared down at Lizzy before announcing loudly, “I love Nana!”
Once we were all sat around the table, things didn’t get any better. When I called my mom and explained the situation, she’d called in the cavalry. My mom, dad, Nana, Pop Pop, all three aunts and my uncle sat around the table with Trevor’s mom, dad, and his older sister, Coraline. We’d only been at the table for about twenty minutes and I already knew one thing: I couldn’t stand Trevor’s family. It took less than ten minutes for me to fully understand exactly why Trevor spoke so badly about his father.
I managed to put together a nice dinner of rosemary chicken, roasted new potatoes, and French-cut green beans with almond slivers. And I even pulled off a run to Virgie May’s for one of their famous chocolate silk pies. I personally thought everything tasted great. But when we all sat to eat, Coraline pinched her face together and began complaining about how she didn’t allow herself to eat carbs. Ignoring the new potatoes, she picked at the chicken and green beans, and every time she took a bite, her expression grew sour, as if the food tasted awful. Yeah, I couldn’t stand that stuck-up bitch.
When the Devareaus first arrived, it was quite obvious that Trevor favored his mother, all the way from the sandy-blond hair to the peculiar teal-blue eyes. Coraline took after their father. Both had mousy-brown hair, although Mr. Devareau’s had gained a bit of gray over the years. And both were unnaturally tall. It seemed the only trait Trevor got from his father was his height. Mr. Devareau and Coraline both had plain brown eyes, and although they held themselves like they were royalty, neither of them were really anything special to look at—not ugly, just…average. Not that you’d think they knew that with how they acted.
After Coraline’s comment about carbs, I had to bite my tongue to keep from making a snide comment about her skeletal frame needing the extra calories. Of course, my Nana was never one to keep her mouth shut.
“Darlin’, it wouldn’t kill ya to put some meat on your bones. Men don’t like a woman whose hip bones could slice cheese.”
Snorts and coughs sounded around the table as my family tried to cover up their laughter—Trevor and I right along with them—as Coraline let out an indignant gasp.
Trevor’s mother, Isabelle was a whole different story. The woman was quiet as a church mouse, and just as meek. She kept her blonde head down, staring at her plate through the entire dinner. She never said anything against her daughter or husband, no matter how distasteful their comments were. And believe me, they had some not-so-nice things to say. She never once bothered to defend Trevor when his father made a cutting comment. It was obvious within the first five minutes that this woman was spineless and weak. Normally I wouldn’t think so badly of a woman clearly beaten-down by her husband, but I lost all sympathy when she never once bothered to stand up for her son.
“So, Elizabeth,” Carlisle started as we began digging into our dess
ert. Of course, Coraline bypassed the pie in exchange for a glass of ice water. Yum. “Trevor tells me you have a little nail salon in town.” Everything he said reeked of condescension. My hands itched to smack him across the face so badly I had to keep them clenched in my lap through a majority of the dinner just to keep from lashing out.
“That’s right, Mr. Devareau. I opened my salon a few years ago.”
“And you didn’t want to do anything else with your life? I mean, not that a nail technician isn’t a…respectful career,” he said, clearly meaning he didn’t find it in the least bit respectful. “But you never wanted to do something more lucrative?”
“Dad,” Trevor growled in warning. But once again, Nana was on the case.
“She’s quite successful, I’ll have you know. She has clients from all the major surrounding cities. Her salon’s been written up in the Houston Chronicle and she’s currently booked up from now to the start of the New Year.”
I loved my Nana something fierce. She’d go toe to toe with anyone who dared to cross her family. And God help the person she directed her anger toward.
Carlisle said nothing else as he wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin and dropped it on his plate as if he were in a restaurant as opposed to his son’s house, like he was waiting for a waiter to come scurrying from the kitchen any moment to retrieve his dirty dishes.
He ignored Nana’s comment and turned his attention back to his son. “So how’s business at the tattoo parlor?” He spoke the last words like it left a foul taste in his mouth. “I truly hope the people of this town can look past your outward appearance,” he said with a wave of his hand at Trevor’s ink-covered arms.
I jumped in before Trevor could get a word in edgewise. “Trevor’s shop is constantly booked solid. Your son is one of the best artists I’ve ever seen, and what he creates on people’s skin is something they’ll treasure for the rest of their lives. He’s beyond successful, and the people here in Cloverleaf love him.” I answered defensively.
Trevor’s hand reached for mine from under the table. He gave it an affectionate squeeze, causing me to look over into his smiling face.
“Please,” Coraline scoffed. “Tattoos are for criminals and trash. Good luck finding an acceptable job looking like you just stepped out of prison.”
I opened my mouth to smack the bitch down, but Carlisle was too quick. “Now, Coraline, don’t be so ill-mannered. Honestly, did you really expect much else from your brother? He’s always been the black sheep. He never did well in school. He chose the military over college. He moved to this backwoods, hick town to do tattoos as opposed to joining the family business. Then he went and married some small-town woman who owns a beauty shop.” With every word Carlisle spoke, my blood heated more and more until it finally boiled over. I glanced over at Trevor’s mother to see her head still down, covered by the curtain of her hair, no plans whatsoever to speak against her raging douchebag of a husband.
Trevor’s entire body tensed and I could sense he was about to speak out against his father. The rest of my family looked poised to pounce on the Devareaus, ready to rip all three a new one. But I jumped up before anyone else had a chance.
A loud screech echoed through the room as my chair scraped against the floor. I planted my palms on the table and stared the asshole right in the eyes.
“Get out,” I hissed between clenched teeth.
“Excuse me?” he asked with a shocked laugh.
“This is our house. That means we aren’t required to allow anyone to stay who isn’t welcome. And you and your band of stick-figure bitches are most certainly not welcome here. So get your snooty asses out of my chairs and get the hell out. I’ve had enough of you cutting my husband down in his own home. And I won’t allow it for one more goddamned second.”
“Young lady, just who in the hell do you think you are?”
I heard my Pop Pop choke on his laughter, knowing my redheaded fury was about be unleashed at its fullest. I looked around the table at my family, each of whom wore an expression of pride while looking back at me as I stood up for the man beside me.
“I’m the woman who’s married to your son. The son you’ve had the nerve to sit here and insult at his own dinner table! I’m the woman who’s officially fed the fuck up with listening to you and Stick-Figure Barbie over here,” I pointed at Coraline, “insult a man who is fifty times better than you will ever be. He chose to enlist and serve his country instead of sitting behind a desk all day long and line his own pockets. That makes him one of the most commendable and respectable men I’ve ever had the honor to know.
“These people,” I said with a wave of my hand at my family, “care about your son the way you should. They are his family. I am his family. You’re nothing but a sorry-ass excuse for a sperm donor, and you are no longer welcome around my husband. Now Get. Out.” By the time I was finished I was breathing heavily, my eyes narrowed on Carlisle, more than ready to go to the mat for Trevor.
“You heard the girl,” Nana chimed in. “Get gone! And may a house fall on you, too.”
“Uh, I think it’s be gone, Mom. Be gone, not get gone,” my mother said.
Nana waved her hand in the air. “What the hell ever. You got the point. I’m about two seconds from jumping over Lizzy to rip the stick outta this guy’s ass and beat him with it.”
The Devareaus stood from the table, Carlisle huffing and puffing the whole time. “Well, I see you’ve found someone just as low-class as yourself to be tied to for the rest of your life,” he spit out as he and his family stomped toward the front door, my entourage following closely behind.
“Damn straight I did,” Trevor answered. “And I couldn’t have found a better wife if I’d tried.” He cut a shit-eating grin at his father as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me flush to his side.
“At least he had the balls to marry a woman with a backbone. Which is more than I can say for that sorry excuse for a woman and mother you’ve got cowering behind you right now.” As soon as they crossed the threshold, I slammed and locked the door behind them, turning to see the smiling faces of my family and Trevor.
“That. Was. Awesome!” Trevor exclaimed, lifting me off the ground as he spun us around before planting a passionate, bone-melting kiss on my lips, sucking the air from my lungs.
When he finally put my feet back on the ground, I had to lean against him in order to stay up right.
When I was able to breathe normally again, I turned back to see everyone laughing at my dazed expression.
Finally Pop Pop cut in. “Who wants more pie?”
And just like that, everything went back to normal.
Taking advantage of the hot Texas weather, we all decided to head out to the lake for the day and relax after a long work week. Me and the guys loaded up coolers of beer, wine coolers for the sissy girls, sandwiches, chips, and bottles of water in the back of our trucks and took off.
When we pulled up next to Savannah and Jeremy at the lake, Lizzy jumped out and ran to Savvy. The girls took off for the water, leaving Jeremy and I to unload the trucks ourselves. Brett, Stacia and Gavin were already set up down near the shoreline, and Luke and Emmy and Ben and Mickey pulled up shortly after us. The guys and I set everything up with no help from the ladies whatsoever, and by the time I finished carrying the last cooler and unfolding the loungers, I was sweating like a whore in church.
Goddamn Texas humidity. It was suffocating most days. When you stepped outside, the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Whipping my sweat-soaked shirt off, I plopped back in a lounge chair with an ice-cold beer in my hand. The second my eyes hit the water, what I saw sucked all the air from my lungs.
Lizzy stood knee-deep in the water, her thick red curls pulled back in a messy knot at the top of her head. The only thing she was wearing was a jade-green bikini which showed off more skin than it covered. And it was the sexiest peaches and cream skin I’d ever seen in my life. Every inch of her sweet,
pale complexion was absolutely flawless. The only place on her body that had any freckles was her nose; everything else was unmarred, pure perfection. And just looking at her had my dick standing at attention. I had to throw a beach towel over my lap to hide the hard-on tenting my swim trunks.
“You getting in the water?” Brett asked as he pulled his shirt over his head.
“Uh, no. Not right now,” I answered as I discreetly tried to adjust my junk.
Brett shrugged a shoulder, turned, and bolted for the water. As soon as he got close to Lizzy, he scooped her up, throwing her over his shoulder as he barreled into the water with her laughing and screaming the whole way.
The minute I saw Brett’s hands on my girl’s bare skin, I lost it. All rational thought flew out the window as red coated my vision.
Hard-on all but forgotten, I stomped to the shoreline and stood staring in their direction with my hands on my hips as they played around in the water.
“Trevor, you getting in?” Lizzy called from a couple yards away when she saw me standing there.
“You mind getting your filthy troll hands off my woman, asshole?” I shouted loud enough for everyone in the general vicinity to hear. Our friends all laughed at my outburst as an uptight mother a little ways down from us scowled and dragged her kid off, out of earshot.
“Trevor! There are children around!” Lizzy yelled as she and Brett made their way back to the shore. Brett smiled like a son of a bitch the whole way.
“Don’t give a shit. Want me to watch my mouth then that needle dick needs to keep his hands to himself.” Lizzy rolled her eyes as Brett’s head tipped back in laughter. That douche loved messing with me when it came to Lizzy.
“You’re being ridiculous,” Lizzy stated, matching my stance with her little hands propped on her curvy hips.
“And you’re hot,” I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest. “You need to wear more clothes when we’re around other people. Like a suit of armor or something. You got one of those?”
Pushing the Boundaries (Picking up the Pieces #3) Page 9
